


Secrets Once Lost

by ivarara



Series: Tith [1]
Category: Warframe
Genre: also this is stil warframe just with a diff operator, silo is just good. moas are good.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:53:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: Tith finds someone long forgotten.
Series: Tith [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620058
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	Secrets Once Lost

Tith has never been one for confrontation. She prefers to stick to the shadows of the places she explores. She would rather not interact with anyone, enemy or ally alike. That was Umbra’s specialty: rushing in and leaving no witnesses.

A rescue mission, that’s what it is. However, on Lua, they’re far more tedious. A matter of chance and timing, rather than the simple breaking-and-entering of normal rescues.

The ruins of Lua are almost nostalgic. This was the last place she saw Margulis and the Lotus. This is the last place she was truly safe. Tucked away in the Reservoir, asleep and unknowing to the chaos taking place outside. The moon was hidden in the Void, along with its inhabitants. When she awoke, Tith had, of course, been terrified. Gradually, she grew into her new life. The discovery of Umbra had helped her along: someone who could replace the Lotus, be there for her physically, someone who would reassure and protect her, bar nothing.

We are nearing the holding area, Umbra’s thoughts brush against hers. She Transfers out of the Warframe, leaving him to guard her back as she hacks the ancient console. Inside, she heads up the short flight of stairs to another set of equally-old consoles. Umbra takes up position at the portal’s opening, poised and at the ready. As she hacks away, she wonders what kind of operative they’re rescuing today. Either way, the ancient security system had trapped them all the same. 

_Begin the hacking process. I am ready._

The codes are easy to bypass on these consoles. Something her quick and nimble fingers can avoid without a problem. 

The first one grants nothing. An empty room with a Battalyst, which Umbra quickly dispatches. He brings back an intact sentient core for her.

The second is merely empty. No sentients, no operatives. 

The third is different.

“In here!” A voice calls out. 

“This is the one,” Tith mentions. “Go in and grab them.”

Umbra whooshes into the portal without preamble, disappearing in its swirling depths.

Anger. A sudden surge of anger, so strong it catches her off-guard physically, and she jolts. 

_**Orokin.** _

Umbra’s anger is so strong it creeps amongst her own thoughts. Yes, she held contempt for the Orokin. Of course she did. But there was no way someone from that age could have lived this long without some sort of intervention.

Umbra darts back through the portal, Exalted Blade at the throat of the suspected Orokin.

_They are Orokin. Like Ballas, they have lasted. They do not deserve to see the wreckage of what they’ve created. Shall I?_

“No, Umbra, give them a second.” The Orokin seems just as frightened as she is. Their eyes are wide; their hands are up in submission.

“Please,” they beg. “I mean you no harm. I arrived here on accident. Let me explain.”

Umbra’s hand trembles in barely-contained rage. The Orokin had taken his life from him. They had taken his son, Isaah. They had taken everything.

“Give them some space,” Tith pushes. “We should at least hear out how they’ve made it this long, no?”

Umbra reluctantly sheathes his Blade, but pins their hands behind their back in one fist.

“Please, I swear, I mean no harm,” they repeat. “I made it here on accident. I was trying to find a way off the moon and ended up here.”

“From where?”

“The Reservoir.”

Tith stalls. “You were in the Reservoir?”

Umbra seethes. His grip on their hands tighten to a painful degree, judging by the wince on their face. 

“Yes, yes. I had secluded away there, after Margulis had started assigning Tenno there. She wanted me to be kept safe as well.”

Tith’s lip curls. “Why? What was so special about you?”

“I was not like them, simply.”

Tith raises her eyebrows.

“Well, not the greed and perfectionism aspects. I had the ability to heal, regardless of the wound. Margulis thought I would be able to keep the Tenno safe in her absence, though it seems I’ve failed thus far.” They look down. “To be quite frank, I’m ashamed to be associated with those egotistical, perfectionistic aristocrats.”

Umbra is still trembling with barely-contained rage, but Tith softens. She knows how it feels to be lumped into a group. The Tenno are all seen as fighters, marksmen. She would prefer to mind her own business in her Orbiter and help with menial things, just living her life as well as she could. 

“So, what do we do?” she says awkwardly. “I don’t exactly want to...ditch you, you know?”

“You don’t even know my name, young one.” They trail off.

 _No, no no._ Umbra fumes. _We are not bringing them aboard_.

“Umbra, hush,” Tith scolds out loud. Umbra narrows his sundred eye and glares daggers at the Orokin veterinarian. 

“Well, what is it?” Tith prompts.

“Ameli.”

She frowns. “That doesn’t sound like other Orokin names.”

“No, it’s more of a nickname. A play on the word ‘ameliorate’, which means to mend and heal.”

Umbra scowls. _They’re all the same. They are no different from Ballas, from all the other murderers._

“You’ll have to forgive Umbra.” Tith explains delicately. “He was one of the Dax soldiers selected for the Warframes. The situation that unraveled was rather...hm.”

“Unpleasant?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“If he was one of the Dax,” they start, “did he know Ballas?”

In a flash, Umbra slams his Skiajati into the floor, cracking the stone beneath it. His eye is frenzied and narrowed, glimmering with unrestrained anger, hatred, despair.

“We don’t bring that up,” Tith snaps.

They look taken aback. “Oh, my sincere apologies, I didn’t mean--”

“I know you didn’t,” the Operator assures. “It’s just a very sensitive topic to go over.” She stalls. “Anyways, Ameli, you seem trustworthy enough.”

 _Like they could do harm anyways_ , Umbra snorts. _They’re so fragile and frail from the cryosleep that we could likely push them over._

“Umbra, hush.” Tith scolds with faux sincerity. “Umbra’s grumbling aside, we can probably help you with a place to hang out until you get on your feet.” If you ever do. So much has changed since you walked.

“Thank you, but I--” Ameli cuts off. “I don’t quite know what to do.”

“We could set you up in a relay or some sort. You could heal other Tenno’s companions,” Tith suggests. “Or you could hook up with the Biz or Master Tesonai to help rehabilitate wildlife.”

“Who?”

“I can explain it more once we get back to the Orbiter. Long story short, there’s still good people out here.”

. *

“Welcome back, Operator!” Ordis beams, completely oblivious to the tagalong they had acquired. “I have been avidly counting the stars in your absence. Safe to say, they are all still present.”

Ameli smirks slightly. “This is your cephalon?”

“Yes. Ordis, we have a… ‘friend’ with us, if you’d notice.”

“Oh! Indeed, you do! They seem--” he cuts off. To Tith only he whispers, “Operator, this person is of Orokin descent. Are you sure…?” Ordis had a history with the Orokin, just as Umbra did. He likely wasn’t on-board with the idea of one living in his space either.

Tith nods. “Umbra still isn’t on board, but we’re seeing if we can hook them up with a safe place working in Fortuna or Cetus for now.”

“I would recommend against that,” Ordis warns. “As soon as the Corpus find out there’s a still-standing Orokin, they will do anything in their power to ‘acquire’ them for their praise.”

“And the Grinner would hunt them down for sport,” Tith adds solemnly.

“Correct. If you are sure they’re not a threat, it may be wise to keep them hidden for now.”

“Ameli hasn’t done anything that would make them appear as a threat. So far, they’re just as confused and befuddled as we are.”

“Ordis will...permit them staying in his and the Operator’s ship. For now,” he adds hastily. 

Ameli nods gratefully. “Thank you, Cephalon Ordis.”

Ordis grunts a response. “Operator, would you be so kind as to give them a tour of their living space? Ordis has received intel on an invasion going awry that he would like to check in on.”

“Good, good. Give me a holler if we need to intervene any.”

“Of course, Operator.”

“He seems rather terse with me as well,” Ameli comments idly. “Does Ordis have a history with the Orokin as well?”

Does she let Ameli know that Ordis was the Beast of the Bones? Would that send some sort of negative connotation into their mind? Ordan Karris had slaughtered numerous Orokin on his rampage. Tith didn’t even know if Ameli knew of it. She elected to keep silent about it.

“Cephalons haven’t exactly had the best of relations with Orokin,” she comments carefully. “And he just wants to do everything he can to keep me safe.”

“I understand,” Ameli nods. “I do hope I can prove that I pose no significant threat to him, and to Umbra.”

Umbra scoffs.

Something trots over with a series of bweeps.

“Aw, Silo!” Tith smiles. The MOA dances from foot to foot excitedly as it closes in for doting.

“You’ve...what is this?” Ameli asks, befuddled.

“This is my MOA. Silo. Legs in Fortuna helped build it, and it’s the best little robot an Operator could ask for.” Silo puffs out its chest proudly and chirps.

“It’s darling,” Ameli smiles as she extends a hand carefully. Silo responds by hunching down and trying to growl, but Tith is quick to intervene.

“Silo is just untrusting of new people in general,” she explains. “Give it time and it’ll warm up to you.” Maybe.

Tith turns back to Silo. She waves, to which the MOA balances on one leg to wave back with the other. 

Tith bends her knees and crouches down.

Silo bends its gangly robotic legs to copy her.

Tith jumps back up to her feet.

Silo mimics her, though with significantly less grace.

Ameli is smiling ear to ear. 

“Silo is really well-behaved, just wary,” Tith continues.

“Understandable. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say.”

Tith nods. Silo copies her, bobbing its head. Tith giggles.

“Umbra, you’re free to do whatever. I’ll give Ameli the tour of the Orbiter.”

Umbra scowls. _There’s no way I’m leaving you alone with one of them._

“Suit yourself.”

Silo follows Tith avidly as she meanders the ship, showing Ameli the way around. The incubator, where she gets Teddy, her kavat, when she wants to. The foundry. The mod arsenal. The Helminth room. Her personal quarters. The Somatic Link.

“This...this is what allows you to control the Warframes?” Ameli queries as she gazes at the equipment. Her eyes follow the tendrils of white that wind around the seat and the room itself.

“Yeah,” Tith shrugs. “Though the link is rather weak with me.” She glares downwards. “It’s why I prefer to use Umbra. He can take care of things on his own if the link breaks entirely.”

“Has it happened before?”

“Yes.” Tith shrugs. “It just means we have to go in a retrieve the Warframe before the locals do.”

“Still, it seems Margulis would have planned a contingency for something like this. Not every connection the Tenno had could be powerful.”

Tith hums. 

Silo sits on a mat Tith had placed down, with an assortment of floofs arranged around it, and beeps happily.

“That’s where I go to think,” Tith explains. “Or when I feel...you know. Silo usually joins me. Umbra likes to keep a distance.”

For the record, that’s my respecting your personal space.

“Umbra is just super awkward in general.”

Ameli laughs.

Umbra storms over, gently swinging at Tith and purposefully missing. Silo rears up on the mat to growl as menacingly as it can at Umbra’s antics. Umbra merely waves it off.

“Anyways, you told me about a kavat?” Ameli’s eyes light up at the prospect of seeing a living, breathing, companion.

“Oh--yeah, Teddy. I can go get him, if you’d like to see him.”

“Of course! I’m interested in the technology that goes into keeping his genetics stabilized. That was something we had to do regularly, back in my day.”

“I still do,” Tith nods. “About every three days, I give him one, just to be safe.”

“Fascinating!” Ameli remarks. “Do go fetch this little Teddy of yours. I’m eager to see how kavats have changed in my absence.”

***


End file.
